2026 Race Recaps

Paddle for Life

Team Calapya at Paddle for Life

Team Calapya joined paddlers from across the region — including crews from as far as Long Beach, California, and teams throughout Oregon and Washington — for this year's Paddle for Life Dragon Boat Races in Clark County. Now in its third decade of service, Paddle for Life was founded in 2009 to foster amateur dragon boat competition in support of local women who have experienced breast cancer, while also introducing the broader community to the sport as a way to build cultural awareness and connection. The nonprofit's fundraising has gone on to support organizations like the Pink Lemonade Project, the Clark County Veterans Assistance Center, FISH of Vancouver, Food with Friends, HOPE 311, and Camp Mariposa.

For Team Calapya, race day was a story of finding their rhythm. The crew posted a 2:11 in their first 250-meter heat, followed by a 2:25 in their second. By the final heat, the boat found its line and the team turned in their fastest time of the day: 1:38. It was a strong note to end on, even though the earlier heats' times kept the team from advancing to the semifinals, which are seeded on aggregate time across all three races.

Team Calapya is already looking ahead to next season, ready to build on the momentum of that final heat.

Calapya Races Hard at the Olympia Dragon Boat Festival

Team Calapya put in a full day of racing at the Olympia Dragon Boat Festival, and the numbers tell a great story: this crew kept finding more speed every time they hit the water.

Calapya opened with a solid 2nd-place finish in Round 1 (1:15.10), then dropped their time to 1:07.03 in Round 2 — good enough to advance on combined times. In the Mixed B/C Semifinal, the team turned in their fastest race of the day, taking 1st place with a time of 1:10.30, edging out Feral Unicorns by just nine hundredths of a second to punch their ticket into the Mixed B Final.

Calapya closed out the day in the B Final with a 4th-place finish (1:16.08), racing against strong competition from Lake Meridian Dragons, Fire Breathing Blowfish, and WAM.

A great showing of speed, grit, and teamwork from start to finish. Thank you to everyone who paddled, coached, and cheered — see you on the water next year!

Rose Fest Recap

Team Calapya Earns Division 1 Finish at the 2026 Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races

Team Calapya — Ridgefield's own spirited crew of friends, neighbors, and paddling enthusiasts — had a milestone race weekend at the 2026 Portland Rose Festival Dragon Boat Races, competing in the Mixed Division alongside teams from across the Pacific Northwest.

A Step Up — and a Hard-Earned One

This year marked a significant achievement for the team: after finishing in Division 2 last season, Team Calapya earned their place in Division 1. For a team only three seasons into their journey together, that kind of advancement doesn't happen by accident. It happens through commitment, coordination, and a whole lot of early mornings driving down to Portland — because without access to their own boats, that's exactly what this team has done. They've made it work, every single time.

How the Races Unfolded

Calapya opened strong in Time Trial 1, finishing 2nd in Heat 9 with a time of 3:03.07 — one of their best showings of the weekend. They carried that momentum through Time Trial 2 and into the Quarterfinals, advancing to the Consolidated Consolation Final where they posted a 2nd place finish in Heat 56 with a time of 3:05.36.

While their times placed them toward the lower end of the Division 1 field, competing at that level — against experienced, well-resourced teams — is itself a testament to how much this group has grown.

More Than a Race Team

Team Calapya is part of something bigger. Rooted in the values of volunteerism, friendship, and community, this team shows up not just on race day, but for each other and for Ridgefield. They welcome new paddlers with open arms, and they race in the same spirit they live by — with energy, heart, and a genuine love for the sport.

Spotted in their signature gray and fiery-red dragon uniforms, Calapya was hard to miss on the water. And after a weekend like this one, they'll be even harder to overlook next year.

Division 1. Three seasons in. The best is still ahead. 🐉